Kordahi’s Resignation in Hezbollah’s Hands, Lebanese Govt Won’t Step Down

Lebanese hold Saudi flags during a protest in support of the Kingdom against comments made by Kordahi, in front of the Saudi Arabia Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. (AP)
Lebanese hold Saudi flags during a protest in support of the Kingdom against comments made by Kordahi, in front of the Saudi Arabia Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. (AP)
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Kordahi’s Resignation in Hezbollah’s Hands, Lebanese Govt Won’t Step Down

Lebanese hold Saudi flags during a protest in support of the Kingdom against comments made by Kordahi, in front of the Saudi Arabia Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. (AP)
Lebanese hold Saudi flags during a protest in support of the Kingdom against comments made by Kordahi, in front of the Saudi Arabia Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. (AP)

Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi said on Sunday that his resignation was “out of the question” in wake of the diplomatic row his offensive comments against Saudi Arabia have caused with between Beirut and the Gulf.

Sources from the Progressive Socialist Party told Asharq Al-Awsat that Kordahi’s resignation is in the hands of the Iran-backed Hezbollah party.

Ministerial sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that efforts are underway to reach a solution that would be based on the minister’s resignation.

The government, however, will not step down, especially since the international community opposes such a move that would have a negative impact on Lebanon, they explained.

As Kordahi told Lebanon’s Al Jadeed television that his resignation was “out of the question”, Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah and pro-Hezbollah minister Ali Hamiyeh continued to pour fuel over the fire.

Hamiyeh struck a defiant tone, saying Lebanon “would not succumb to blackmail”.

“Lebanon’s national sovereignty, independent decision-making and dignity are above all else,” he tweeted.

Fadlallah rejected what he described as pressure on Kordahi, whether by the government of foreign powers.

He said Kordahi’s resignation would be another sign of “subjugation, offense and indignity.”

Deputy head of the Mustaqbal Movement former MP Mustafa Alloush told Asharq Al-Awsat that he does not rule out the possibility that Hezbollah has encouraged Kordahi against resigning.

“Hezbollah will be more at ease as the divide between Lebanon and the Gulf widens,” he explained.

It is in the party’s interest for this gap to remain, he noted. The party believes that it, along with Iran, can fill this void.

Former MP Butros Harb stated that everyone blames the government for this crisis and they are waiting for it to make a move that would resolve.

“However, will Iran and its party allow that?” he wondered.

In a statement on Sunday, he stressed that he rejects any offense to Saudi Arabia that could in turn jeopardize the livelihoods of the Lebanese people and harm relations, which would negatively impact the higher national interest.

“A minister committed a grave error that led to a crisis in Lebanese-Saudi ties. Everyone knows that it is in Lebanon’s interest to resolve it. The minister’s refusal to resign or apologize to the Kingdom … has deepened the crisis,” he noted.

“This crisis demonstrates what we have long been saying: There can be no rise for a Lebanese state as long as Hezbollah possesses illegitimate weapons and continues to control the state’s political and national decisions,” he stressed.

“There can be no rise for a Lebanese state as long as its officials, starting from those at the top of political hierarchy, agree to Iran’s hegemony and allow their voices to be usurped in spite of the damage and crises that has led to,” Harb added.



Clerics Accuse West Bank Israeli Settlers of Attacking Christian Sites

Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa walks during the visit of the town of Taybeh, a Christian village in the Israeli-Occupied West Bank, following settler attacks, July 14, 2025. (Reuters)
Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa walks during the visit of the town of Taybeh, a Christian village in the Israeli-Occupied West Bank, following settler attacks, July 14, 2025. (Reuters)
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Clerics Accuse West Bank Israeli Settlers of Attacking Christian Sites

Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa walks during the visit of the town of Taybeh, a Christian village in the Israeli-Occupied West Bank, following settler attacks, July 14, 2025. (Reuters)
Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa walks during the visit of the town of Taybeh, a Christian village in the Israeli-Occupied West Bank, following settler attacks, July 14, 2025. (Reuters)

Christian leaders accused Israeli settlers on Monday of attacking sacred sites in the West Bank, in violence that one said was forcing some to consider quitting the occupied territory.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III - visiting the Christian town of Taybeh with other Jerusalem-based clerics - said settlers had started a fire near a cemetery and a 5th century church there last week.

"These actions are a direct and intentional threat to our local community ... but also to the historic and religious heritage," the patriarch told diplomats and journalists at a press conference in Taybeh.

Settlers had also attacked homes in the area, he said.

"We call for an immediate and transparent investigation on why the Israeli police did not respond to emergency calls from the local community and why these abhorrent actions continue to go unpunished," he added.

Israel's government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Israel's government had previously said that any acts of violence by civilians are unacceptable and that individuals should not take the law into their own hands.

During the visit, the heads of the churches led locals in prayer as candles flickered in the ruins of the 5th century church of St George. They spoke with residents who described their fears.

B'Tselem and other rights groups say settler violence in the West Bank has risen since the start of Israel's war against Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza in late 2023.

Dozens of Israelis have also been killed in Palestinian street attacks in recent years and the Israeli military has intensified raids across the West Bank.

Palestinian health authorities and witnesses said two men, including a US citizen, were killed by settlers during a confrontation on Friday night.

Fears over violence were pushing Christians to leave the West Bank, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Roman Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem since 2020, said.

"Unfortunately, the temptation to emigrate is there because of the situation," he added. "This time it's very difficult to see how and when this will finish, and especially for the youth to talk about hope, trust for the future."

Around 50,000 Christian Palestinians live in Jerusalem and in the West Bank, an area that includes many of the faith's most sacred sites including Bethlehem where believers say Jesus was born.

Around 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 war, which Palestinians see as part of a future state.